Military: Man with rifle shot near gate at Arkansas air base JACKSONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A civilian armed with a rifle was shot and critically wounded after trying to enter Little Rock Air Force Base on Monday, though it wasn't immediately clear why the man was trying to enter the sprawling base, military officials and police said. Col. Charles Brown Jr., the commander of the base, said an SUV jumped a curb and knocked over a street sign near the base's front gate before the driver got out with a rifle. B...

2 hospitalized after shooting near gate at LR Air Force BaseJACKSONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A civilian armed with a rifle was shot and critically wounded after trying to enter Little Rock Air Force Base on Monday, though it wasn't immediately clear why the man was trying to enter the sprawling base, military officials and police said. Col. Charles Brown Jr., the commander of the base, said an SUV jumped a curb and knocked over a street sign near the base's front gate before the driver got out with a rifle. B...

Former Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, wife file for bankruptcyLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Former Arkansas Lt. Gov. Mark Darr and his wife have filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection. Court documents show Darr and Kimberly Darr have assets of $29,900 and debts of $78,099.70. The largest asset is a 2010 Cadillac SRX while the debts include nearly $10,000 to credit card companies and $18,735 to Ford Motor Credit Corp. Darr is a Republican from Springdale who resigned as lieutenant governor on Feb. 1, 2014, after...

Death of Little Rock man believed to be homicideLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Police in Little Rock say the death of a man who was found rolling on the ground and bleeding is believed to be a homicide. Police say officers responding to a trouble call Friday night found 37-year-old Clifton Page of Little Rock on the ground and bleeding from the nose. Police say paramedics arrived and were treating Page in an ambulance when Page lost consciousness. He later died at a nearby hospital. A suspected cause o...

Recent rains put damper on wheat harvestLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Late winter and early spring rains across Arkansas have put a damper on the 2015 wheat harvest in the state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service reports that total production was just more than 19 million bushels, down from almost 25 million bushels in 2014. The yield averaged out at 56 bushels per acre, seven bushels per acre less than the 63 bushels per acre harvested last year. "It'...

Arkansas to recheck eligibility of Medicaid recipientsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Department of Human Services is set to begin rechecking the eligibility of Medicaid recipients in the state on Monday. The checks are required annually, but DHS Director John Selig said they have been delayed by difficulties in replacing a 25-year-old computerized eligibility and enrollment system. The department will begin reviewing the eligibility of enrollees by using wage information from state Department of...

Suspect in slaying in Holland surrenders to deputiesHOLLAND (AP) — A man wanted in the beating death of a man in the Faulkner County town of Holland has surrendered. Sheriff Andy Shock told reporters that the suspect surrendered about 7:45 a.m. Saturday after calling the sheriff's office and saying he was tired of running. Chief Deputy Matt Rice said the suspect met deputies at a home in neighboring Pulaski County and was taken to the Faulkner County jail. The man is wanted in the Tuesday death...

Razorbacks fail to convert chances in 5-3 loss to VirginiaOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Arkansas had no problem getting runners on base. Getting them home was another matter. Andrew Benintendi hit his nation-leading 20th home run to tie the game in the fifth inning, but the Razorbacks didn't score again in a 5-3 loss to Virginia in the College World Series opener on Saturday. "We didn't punch them in, and they did," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. "That was the difference in the game." The Hogs (40-24), in t...

Morrilton man wins $2 million playing Arkansas lotteryLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A Morrilton man has won $2 million playing the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. The lottery said in a news release Friday that Owen Cochran won with a $20 Gold Rush ticket that he bought at Tobacco Corner Plus in Morrilton. Cochran had stopped at the store to cash in another lottery ticket and decided to buy more tickets, leading to the win. Cochran said he plans to invest the money, care for his family and build a new house.

Board rejects changing standardized test providerLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas state Board of Education has rejected a recommendation endorsed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to change the provider of standardized tests. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the board voted 7-1 Thursday against moving from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — or PARCC — tests to ACT tests. Hutchinson said he's disappointed and that he will work with the board and the education commi...

Department of Justice investigating women's prisonLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations of sexual abuse and harassment at the Arkansas Department of Correction's McPherson Unit. The prison in Newport houses female prisoners. The Department of Justice said in a news release Thursday that it has received allegations that prison staff had sex with prisoners, exchanged commissary money for sexual favors and made inappropriate comments to prisoners while th...

Governor heading to Europe to recruit businessLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday that he will leave this weekend for an economic development trip to France and Germany to recruit foreign companies to bring their operations to Arkansas. The weeklong trip will tout the state's aerospace and steel production industries with stops at the Paris Air Show and the METEC International Metallurgical Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany. Hutchinson, who is leaving Saturday, s...

Governor cracks down on state contract practicesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has sent a letter to state lawmakers updating them on his efforts to improve state contract practices after issues arose with contracts at the state Department of Human Services. Hutchinson released the two-page letter Thursday. It recaps the steps his office has taken to make the state's procurement system more accountable, including requiring all information technology contracts worth more than...

Tiny town of Concord faces lawsuit over traffic stopsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The tiny town of Concord is facing a federal civil-rights lawsuit from drivers who say they were pulled over as part of a money making ploy by police. The suit filed Tuesday claims that "over a period of several years, literally hundreds of persons were stopped ostensibly for having an 'improper display of tags' or 'no license plate lamp' or some other pretextual reason solely for the underlying purpose of issuing citations ...

Panel OKs contractor fronting expected shortfall in projectLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A state transportation panel has approved a financing plan in which a contractor eventually picked for a highway project would bankroll part of the work until the state can raise enough money to repay it. Highway officials say they have up to $450 million set aside for the project to improve the Interstate 30 corridor through downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock, but that it could cost more. The state Highway Commissio...

Proposal to restore previous term limits submittedLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A group that wants to return term limits for Arkansas state legislators to 10 years has submitted a proposed ballot title for a state constitutional amendment. Arkansas Term Limits on Thursday provided the proposal to Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Rutledge must approve the ballot title before the group can start gathering the estimated 82,000 signatures of registered voters that will be needed to put the question on the ...

Teen flying to college orientation survives crashJONESBORO (AP) — An Arkansas father and son who decided to fly to orientation at Oklahoma State University have survived a crash landing in a parking lot. Kenneth Caubble, 40, of Jonesboro was flying the 1973 Piper Arrow aircraft Wednesday morning when the engine trouble began at 2,000 feet. He landed the plane in a Jonesboro strip center before its wing hit a parking sign and tore off. The plane then hit a second pole and flipped before the a...

Little Rock police chief reprimanded for losing handgunLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Little Rock officials have reprimanded the police chief for losing his city-issued handgun. A written reprimand was issued to Police Chief Kenton Buckner on Tuesday after he reported one of his city-issued firearms as lost or stolen. Buckner said he moved over the Memorial Day weekend and can't find his backup handgun, a .40-caliber Glock 27. The written reprimand was the only disciplinary action taken against Buckner, who s...

Man arrested on suspicion of killing co-worker in fightCONWAY (AP) — A Conway man has been arrested on suspicion of killing a co-worker. Arkansas media outlets report the 29-year-old suspect was arrested Wednesday in relation to the death of Cole Harvey, 29. He faces a second-degree murder charge. According to a police news release, officers responded to a call Tuesday that Harvey had collapsed after a fight in front of a home. Police say they found Harvey lying in the street in a pool of blood. A...

Arkansas seeking rehearing in 12-week abortion ban caseLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Attorney General's Office is seeking a rehearing before the U.S. appeals court that agreed last month with a lower court that a state law unconstitutionally burdens women by banning abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy if a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed a 19-page petition Wednesday seeking a rehearing before the entire 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The cou...